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• John Ford in any shape or form is 5 outta five!

  • John Fahlsing
  • 3/11/13

  Huge cast, excellent locations, good story. The one I missed I miss no more. Thanks Mr. Ford.

• Too long!

  • Red Rain
  • 3/11/13

  I've watched this film a number of times and it is far too long for the story being told. The editing was sparse and it hurts the film. The film did win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography and the scenes in and around Monument Valley are superb. Richard Widmark is very good here but he is just one of a myriad of film stars who are throughout the film. Not all of the stars in Hollywood could have made this a fitting tribute to it being John Ford's last film and that's a shame.

• cheyenne autumn

  • will
  • 2/8/13

  john ford said when making movies, make the legend. go to the library if you want a history lesson. (not an exact quote words to that effect) my point is, this is a great film, with the exception of the wild chase scene with the ****s and cowboys and james stewart etc. it just doesnt fit in, looks like it was cut in from another film and frankly, james stewart a great actor in his one right, seems to be hamming it up cause, he doesnt give a damn for a bit part or cameo maybe mr. ford should have considered stewart for a better larger part. this is not just a western, its the story of a great nation of people fighting for there rights and finally a journey at last to go home to the land of there ancestors. a very deep and profoundly tragic journey. what i find, is the( happy ending) where the indian commisioner from washington, who comes to square things up with the cheyenne people (edward g. robinson) history tells us he never showed up! theyre still waiting and waiting and over a hundred tragic years later still waiting. if your going to make a fictional cowboy movie shoot um up fall off your horse stuff, ok ill buy the popcorn love it. but dont mess with the truth.

• Well meaning, not well done

  • Oliver Cutshaw
  • 1/10/13

  As is the case with most reviewers, I wish John Ford's last western was better. The man who directed "Fort Apache", the "Searchers", and "My Darling Clemantine" had the master director's touch. But by the time he worked on this film, he was by his own admission, tired and ill. There are still excellent elements in this film. Beautiful photography, several fine performances (Widmark especially) , and interesting character studies. It tells an important story but not all that well. It never quite comes together. However, for any fan of the Western, it is well worth the viewing at least once. Oh, the scenes showing the plight of the Cheyenne tribe are generally well done and moving. The other parts of the film are a bit dull. Anyway take a look.

• Cheyenne Autumn

  • Janet Masly
  • 1/10/13

  The story line of the Cheyenne's trek through the country to get to their homeland is important. The movie had a wonderful cast and a good director but the movie itself could not hold my attention. I was highly disappointed in its presentation. John Ford was a talented director, but the movie did not do justice to him nor to the great list of actors. I would consider this movie a "one-timer".

• Great Western

  • bill
  • 2/9/12

  I first saw this movie when I was eleven or twelve. Since then I've seen it several more times and will watch it whenever it's shown on a premium channel or TCM. It's a great western that tells a good story about what the white man did to the indians and are still doing today. They broke every treaty they ever made with the native Americans and if you don't believe it, read Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee. Bill

• A waste of time

  • Tuna
  • 2/1/12

  I just watched Cheyenne Autumn for the first time, and it was one of the worst movies that I have ever seen. The plot was tedious and the movie did not flow very well. However, the insertion of the "Battle of Dodge City" sequence was ridiculous, and had no place at all in the plot of the movie. I don't know why everyone fawns over John Ford. Every one of his movies that I have seen, involve drunken fights, women getting their skirts torn off, and carnival music. That's not a western, that's just a boozy joke of a movie.

• Hispanics In Movies

  • Gilberto Ortiz
  • 8/11/11

  In 1964 few hispanics worked in Hollywood movies. Therefore, Gilbert Roland, Ricardo Montalban and Dolores del Rio drew strong attention from us and we admired them extensively for representing us. I was watching this movie today and am still very impressed; they along with Anthony Quinn, were the first Hispanics to find work in movies and inspire us. My respect and compliments to John Ford and whoever was the main person that recommended them for the roles in Cheyenne Autumn. Today, it is people such as Director Robert Rodriguez, who are making further progress in establishing hispanics in the movie world. Robert's family has roots in South Texas, I look forward to some day him filming in the Rio Grande Valley. We will welcome him with open arms. There are some very good local hispanic actors/actresses in the "Valley" who are willing to work for a a paltry wage to be in a movie.

• Widmark shines in Ford's farewell western

  • Jack Jacoby
  • 11/18/10

  Great American director, John Ford, brings to the screen an homage to the American Indian with this, his last epic. The idea was brought to Ford by Richard Widmark years before, and Widmark was rewarded by being cast in the lead role, heading an excellent cast which included Carol Baker, Karl Malden, Gilbert Roland, Ricardo Montalban, Sal Mineo and Dolores Del Rio. Appearing as "guest stars" were the always excellent James Stewart, and a personal favorite, indomitable Edward G. Robinson as the Secretary of Defense. This was the pinnacle of Widmark's career, as he had major roles in three best film nominees in four years (The Alamo, Judgment at Nuremberg, and How the West Was Won) and was a the time a major hollywood star. It was also the second pairing of Ford and Widmark. It was fortunate that Widmark was given the lead because he was perfect and flawless and looks very natural in a Cavalry uniform. This is quite a good film and and entertaining for all but a special treat for fans of Ford and Widmark. Boots and saddles, mister! movie fans, but a special treat for fans of Ford and Widmark. Boots and saddles, mister!!

• Cheyenne Autumn

  • Mike
  • 6/16/10

  Notable for the work of the Native American extras. Jay Silverheels should have been cast in a lead role.

• A Master's Farewell

  • Senor
  • 5/5/10

  This is the last western and the next to last feature film directed by John Ford--the movie director who invented the myth of the American West. Cheyenne Autumn was criticized when it was released, and has continued to be criticized for it's length and for casting non Native Americans in the leading Native American roles. Granted all of those things, it is still a hugely important movie because it continues a trend that Ford started at least as early as The Searchers in exploding the mythology that he helped create in the 20s, 30s and 40s. Cheyenne Autumn is his ultimate expression of revisinonism involving Native Americans, and if it is not as masterly as The Searchers and the Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, then surely age and studio financing had a lot to do with it. Ford's last western was released the same year Clint Eastwood made his first movie and there is an almost seamless transition between the two of them in dealing with the myth of the West.

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